Usually, when manufacturers of humanoid robotshumanoid robots highlight the capabilities of their creations, they rather talk about agility, like for Atlas from Boston Dynamics which does parkour, or even about strength, like the Forerunner K2 from Kepler.
In this case, Toyota took another approach, with its Cue basketball robot, created to score baskets. In 2019, the third generation of the robot, CUE3, entered the Guinness Book of Records after making 2,020 free throws in a row. Now it's up to the sixth generation, CUE6, to set a new world record, after hitting a shot from 24.55 meters away.
Watch Toyota's CUE6 robot set a new record by shooting from a distance of 24.55 meters. In English, enable automatic translation of subtitles. © Guinness World Records
A successful shot in two attempts
This is not the absolute record, since Joshua Walker, an American player, had set a record of 34.6 meters in 2022. However, it is the longest shot at the basket for a humanoid robot. Furthermore, while the man needed 30 attempts to make his shot, the robot only needed two. Although the engineers had hoped the robot would succeed on the first try, it was able to recalibrate itself after its first failed attempt and successfully launch on the second try.
The robot has evolved enormously since the first generation built with Lego bricks. Engineers say they have worked a lot on its hands, and the robot is able to pick up the ball and shoot, move on wheels and dribble. He is even equipped with cameras in his feet to allow him to better follow the movementsmovements of the ball. The robot learned to shoot thanks to artificial intelligence, which allowed it to develop its own stylestyle to throw.
